Had a young customer yesterday who asked why I don't just throw away old lenses instead of fixing them

This kid maybe 22 years old dropped off a beat up Pentax 50mm f1.4 for a helicoid rebuild. While I was working on it he asked why I bother fixing stuff from the 70s when he could just buy a new 50mm for 100 bucks on Amazon. I told him this lens has better glass than most new stuff under $500 and he just didn't get it. Made me realize how many people have zero appreciation for older gear. Anyone else run into folks who don't understand why we repair stuff instead of replacing it?

2 comments

2 Comments

henderson.mila5d ago

Honestly I bet that kid would have a whole new appreciation for old lenses if he ever dropped his precious Amazon special on concrete and watched it shatter into plastic confetti. Ngl we've officially reached a point where people think fixing things is some kind of ancient secret art instead of just common sense. Tbh I'd rather spend a weekend cleaning and rebuilding a 50 year old lens than waste money on something that'll be e-waste in 3 years. But hey maybe I'm just nostalgic for when things were built to last instead of designed to die.

wadea534d ago

Is it wrong that I read this while my hands were literally covered in lens grease from reviving a 1960s Takumar? @henderson.mila you're speaking my language. I've got a box of old glass that looks like it's been through a war but still takes better photos than most new stuff. I've dropped a few of my cheap adapters on pavement and watched them crumble, but the vintage lenses just bounce. Maybe I'm just a sucker for brass and heft, but I'll take a scratched up classic over a shiny plastic box any day. Anyone else ever rebuild an old lens just for the fun of it?